– Ivory defeats Lita to retain the WWF Womens Title
– Steve Blackman defeats Perry Saturn to retain the WWF Hardcore Title
– Crash Holly defeats William Regal to win the WWF European Title. After the match, Regal stole the title back
– Right To Censor (Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather) defeat The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff) to retain the WWF Tag Team Titles
– Kurt Angle defeats Rikishi, Steve Austin & The Rock in a Fatal Four Way Match to retain the WWF Title

Happy birthday to 2-time AWA Southern Tag Team Champion Gypsy Joe (80), former TNA wrestler Ricky ‘Machete’ Vega (37) and one-time AJPW All Asia Tag Team Champion Jinsei Shinzaki, also known for his WWF run as Hakushi (47)

In Memoriam

On this day in 1997, the wrestling world lost British legend Big Daddy aged 67. Real name Shirley Crabtree, he began his professional career in 1952. He became a British and European Heavyweight Champion before leaving the business in 1966, bemoaning the politics in British wrestling at the time. In 1972, Crabtree returned to wrestling and, at the behest of his booker brother Max, debuted the Big Daddy persona two years later. Initially portrayed as a monster heel, Daddy soon gained so much popularity that he was forced to turn face. He engaged in legendary feuds with Kendo Nagasaki and Giant Haystacks whilst also teaming with (and therefore increasing the popularity of) several younger talents, including those who would later rise to fame as William Regal, Satoru Sayama, Chris Adams and The British Bulldogs. In the early 1980’s, Daddy’s popularity was such that he was planned to star in his own children’s television show, however, he pulled out at short notice, leading to the creation of Tommy Boyd & Isla St Clair’s ‘The Saturday Show’. Daddy also starred in a weekly comic strip around this time. In 1987, Daddy suddenly called time on his career after inadvertently causing the death of fellow wrestler King Kong Kirk; Daddy performed his Big Splash finisher on Kirk, who stopped breathing and was rushed to hospital. Despite the coroner finding that Kirk had an undiagnosed heart condition and clearing him of all blame, Crabtree reportedly blamed himself for the incident. He made infrequent appearances into the 1990’s, but was never the same wrestler, having seemingly lost confidence in himself. He eventually succumbed to a stroke in his hometown of Halifax. Daddy’s popularity was never and probably will never be be attained by another UK wrestler. He could count several famous figures amongst his fans, including then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and, reportedly, the Queen!